It's Been A While
by MadameQuill
Summary: After many years, Gray's time to pass on to the next world has come. However, he seems to have loose ends to tie up with a certain Dragon Slayer. The two friends reunite in a strange place, at an untimely moment.
1. Rites of Passage

**It's Been A While**

A Fairy Tail Fanfiction

**Warnings:** Shounen-Ai Pairing (Natsu/Gray), (Gray/Juvia), read at your own discretion.

**A/N:** This is my personal hurrah to all the couples out there liberated by the repealing of DOMA last week. Congratulations, guys. I'm not homosexual, but you guys are as cute as all the other couples out there and I believe everyone should be viewed equally in their preferences. No one has the right to reprimand who you are; it's up to ourselves to make decisions on who we are and what we're about. I didn't mean for this to be angsty, because I wish happiness to all you readers out there, but it's just an idea that came to my mind while it was raining like hell a few days ago. (rain=great for tragic inspiration!)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima in all his glory does.

* * *

Gray laid in the hospital bed, waiting for his time to come. Though his outer shell had, over the years, withered away into a pile of wrinkly skin and bones, he still couldn't believe that he was eighty-four years old. It was as if he was one of the most powerful mages in the Fairy Tail guild one day, bursting with life and pride for his comrades, and the next morning, his reflection mockingly stared back at him, at the old man that he was now. _The hell's with all these tube-y things they've stuck everywhere, anyway? I can't even die peacefully. Geez._

He glanced around weakly at everyone in the room and the array of guild marks stamped onto the different body parts. They were the members of the next generation…and the generations after. They were the ones who would continue the legacies of mages, and that of Fairy Tail itself. He sighed, emitting a wheezing sound that was almost inaudible. He felt a nudge at his elbow.

"Grandpa?" a small voice said, hesitantly.

He turned to face a raven-haired little girl, no more than seven, and a faint smile formed on his aged face.

"Yes, dear?"

The child's deep, navy irises shifted nervously. "Will…will I ever see you again? Mommy says it's time for you to go, but I don't want you to." Her voice began to crack.

He mustered up the energy to put on his biggest grin. Somehow, he managed to croak out, "Summer, Grandpa will never leave you. I'll always be with each and every one of you, you just won't be able to see me."

Summer pouted, furrowing her little brows. "Granmama said the same thing, but she doesn't talk to me anymore."

Her mother's hands touched the child's shoulders gently as she bent down and whispered, "Honey, Grandpa is tired."

Gray shook his head, indicating that he wanted to engage in the last few precious exchanges of conversation he would have with his favorite granddaughter. "It's alright, Marion."

Marion smiled sadly at her father. He'd lived a full life, yes, and what he and her mother, Juvia shared was a bond that was rare in married couples, even in their time. Despite that, her heart ached to see him go. He'd taught her so much—from Ice Magic to life lessons to walking her step by step through relationships, and finally walking her down the aisle. Now, the time had finally come for her to say goodbye. It won't be easy—she'd barely had time to recover from her mother's death last year, but she was happy that they both could leave in an ideal, peaceful manner, surrounded by loved ones. Like a fairy tale.

Summer wiggled in her seat next to her grandpa's bed, and Gray reached out and touched her hand. Wide, innocent eyes stared into his orbs, and he could feel the warmth flood his heart. He couldn't ever get over how much Summer reminded him of a certain dragon slayer, over seventy years ago.

"I'll tell you what, Summer. This guild mark—" he traced the Fairy Tail emblem on the back of her hand, "—will serve as a daily reminder that Granmama, Grandpa, the guild, and all the other Fairy Tail members that have left temporarily, will always be with you. Day and night. You got that?"

Summer nodded slowly, absorbing what her Grandpa said. She looked up at Gray again from her hand, and asked, "but Grandpa, will I ever see you again?"

"Of course. One day, we will all make ice castles by the river again. And when that day comes, neither Granmama nor I will ever leave again."

Her face brightened at this, and she grinned, her cheeks flushing a healthy pink. "Promise, Grandpa?"

He gave a single nod: "Promise."

She suddenly became excited. "Hey, Grandpa?"

"What is it, Summer?"

Her face contorted into a stern look of concentration as she opened one of her palms and placed a fist in her palm.

"Ice Make: Heart!" she said, and a palm-sized heart formulated in the space above Summer's hands. She lifted her hands, face up, and caught it as it slowly floated down into her palms and glittered in the lighting of the room. The other visitors watched in wonder at the most talented young mage in the new generation of the Fullbuster lineage. Gray's eyes widened a bit. Had she already become that skilled in creation magic?

Summer grinned again holding the ice heart out to her Grandpa and placing it on his stomach. She pointed at it and declared, "That's Summer's gift to Grandpa, so Grandpa and Granmama know that Summer will always be thinking of them, too."

Gray smiled at the child, his eyes too dry to tear up. He ran his hand around the cold, yet tingly edges of the small ice heart. "I love it. Thank you, Summer." At his words, the girl smiled even wider. It tore at his heart a little to leave his angels.

Gray didn't know when it started, but after talking a bit more, his vision blurred, and his mind began blocking out the voices of his family. _Ah, it's time…_he thought, as he slowly slipped into darkness.

* * *

He walked the dark tunnel that seemed indefinite. It was made of no substance—simply a dark tunnel with no walls and no ground. He couldn't even hear his own footsteps. What Gray did know, however, was that there was a light that he yearned ahead of him, and to reach that light, he would have to keep on walking.

When he finally exited the mouth of the tunnel, he stepped into a blinding field of white. _Great. First black, now white? Is this the afterlife? Black and white? How boring. _To be honest, he had seen the afterlife as more of a place of non-existence rather than the flowery heaven that everyone else placed their hopes on. It seemed more befitting, giving the mind a rest from the earthly troubles. But this was a bit far from everything…just plain black and white.

It was then that he finally realized he didn't feel the burden of his age anymore. He'd walked, perfectly straight and efficiently down the long tunnel. Gray stared down at his body, and lifted his arms, examining them. His wrinkles had disappeared, and he felt a strength that he'd possessed decades ago return to him. He touched his face and pinched his cheek, running a hand through his thick head of raven hair. He seemed to be wearing an ordinary pair of jeans, sneakers, and a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, much like how he carried himself back in his golden days at the guild, though they never stayed on his body long enough for anyone to notice. _Huh, how nifty. I could get used to this._

Just then, he sensed a presence behind him.

"Gray-sama?"

The voice was all-too familiar. He spun around, and suddenly the field of white distorted into the setting of a rooftop—no, not a rooftop. The top of the mechanical moving Phantom Lord guild, where he and Juvia had first met when she'd fought him as one of the Element Four. He gazed around, disoriented, and turned back to Juvia. _Woah..._

"Juvia!"

His wife of fifty-nine years stood in front of him, as young and as beautiful as ever, with her cerulean hair cropped into a bob. She wore her signature blue-and white dress and knee-high, white boots. An emblem of Fairy Tail glimmered on the pendant that rested on her chest. A few tears ran down her cheeks as she smiled her usual, welcoming smile.

"Ah, Gray-sama. Juvia has been waiting for you."

"Juvia…"

He moved to where she stood, and wrapped his strong, protective arms around her, a sensation that they both missed. She sighed after inhaling his minty scent. Oh, how she had waited for this moment. After a few minutes, she pulled away and held his hands, longingly looking at the face she'd come to love so much.

Gray spoke, breaking the momentary silence. "Juvia, what is this place? What are we doing here?" he murmured, as he absentmindedly brushed off a few new tears that trickled down her smooth cheek.

She reached her hand up and placed it on his hand, which was still cupping her cheek. "This is the place where one's last desires are fulfilled, Gray-sama."

"Last desires?" he asked curiously.

"There is no afterlife, Gray-sama," she said slowly.

"Huh. I figured," he smirked. Juvia's heart fluttered ever so slightly as she stared at his handsome face. Gray never failed to drive her emotions out of control.

"This is a temporary passage to the hearts with an unfulfilled desire. After that desire is accomplished, the person will move on to be reborn. We—humans and mages and living things alike—all belong to an endless cycle of rebirth." She lowered her lashes and continued to speak. "This desire…It is usually something that a person never got to say or pass on to another loved one. "

Gray raised an eyebrow. "And what if that other person doesn't come?"

Juvia smiled again. "They will come, at some point." She glanced around at the top of her ex-guild, and at the blue sky. She'd never seen more sunshine and blue skies in her entire life than after she joined Fairy Tail. "You will wait until they come. Time here passes very quickly. Even Juvia still believes that she had only arrived a little while ago."

"But it's been a year," Gray said incredulously.

Juvia shook her head. "It does not matter. Time here passes like water, flowing in a river…"

Gray chuckled. "That's a rather artistic way of putting it," he teased.

The water mage giggled and they subsided as she looked back up into his eyes, which were now confused.

"Well, I don't know why I'm here then," he said.

"Gray-sama may have guessed, that Juvia has something important to say to Gray-sama. Gray-sama also has his own reason for being here as well, and he will have no need to wait."

He scratched his head. "Not really…I didn't die with regrets or anything…"

The water mage smiled sadly, almost on the verge of tears again. "Juvia will show you why." She took a deep, ragged breath and continued. "Being married to Gray-sama has been more than what Juvia could ever wish for. Gray-sama and Fairy Tail have brought Juvia much happiness—Juvia still remembers how everyone at Fairy Tail readily accepted Juvia when Juvia joined. Juvia remembers how she fought Vidaldus with Lucy-chan, and how Lucy-chan never gave up on Juvia. Juvia is thankful for everything that Fairy Tail gave her."

Gray tilted his head, waiting for her to continue.

She took another deep breath. "But Juvia has a message to Gray-sama that she has been holding back all these years. Juvia was scared that she might make Gray-sama sad if she mentioned this."

Now Gray was curious. He stared intently at his wife, wondering what on earth she had been hiding from him. As far as he knew, there were zero secrets between them. Well, maybe he had kept one. Just one. But it was more of a white lie, especially after he got married, so what Juvia said next deeply shocked him.

"Juvia has been aware that she has always played the second fiddle in Gray-sama's heart."

Gray began protesting immediately, "Juv—"

Juvia shook her head, putting a finger to his lips. "Juvia knows that there is a person in Gray-sama's heart that Juvia could never replace. Juvia also knows that Gray-sama has loved her sincerely, but he holds a deeper passion for this person."

Gray stared at the ground guiltily, until Juvia raised his chin, forcing him to look at her.

"You are here for that person, Gray-sama. Juvia wants you to tie up the loose ends between the two of you. Juvia wants you to say the things that you never had the chance to say to him, ever since he passed away sixty-seven years ago. Juvia wants you," she placed her hand on his chest, "to mend the heart that Juvia never could." She sighed, and added, "Juvia wants him and Gray-sama to be able to move on."

Gray clenched his fists, as tears flowed freely from his squinted eyes. "I'm so sorry, Juvia…I tried to keep it from you, but you've known all along…I'm sorry…"

A delicate, gloved hand reached up and dabbed at his face. She picked up his hand and pressed it to her cheek, basking in the warmth for one last time, closing her eyes. "Saa, go to him, Gray-sama…" she whispered as she faded away.

"Wait, Juvia!" He fell to his knees, feeling the lack of presence of his wife, and whipped his head around wildly, searching for her. The Phantom Lord guild melted away, back into the field of white.

"J-Juvia?" he called, shaking.

"When you are ready, you will proceed, Gray-sama. Juvia is happy…" her lingering voice echoed around the never-ending field.

* * *

**A/N:** Woo, so many feels! I meant for it to be a oneshot, but I guess it'll be split into two chapters! ^^; Don't worry, Gratsu coming right up! Thanks to everyone who read through and reviewed, this is my first story that I posted on this site so I hope it went relatively well!


	2. With You

**It's Been A While**

A Fairy Tail Fanfiction

**Warnings:** Lots of feels! (I think…?)

**A/N:** Sorry for late update I was going to do this earlier but then we had all this 4th 'o July jazz and then I PMSed and yeah o.o; Enjoy!

* * *

_Sorry…so, __**so **__sorry…_Gray didn't even know who he was apologizing to anymore. He was just so _sorry _over everything. His entire life, his wellbeing was just him leeching off the happiness of others.

Juvia was right. It was something, that, though he never realized, he regretted constantly. Something had been lost, way back when, and Gray had yet to admit that it had been missing.

The guilt was overwhelming. It wasn't fair, not to Juvia, not to _him._

The guild had focused its efforts on moving on, but the truth was, no one could ever let go. _He _had driven himself—every part of his idiotic flame-brain self—too deep into their hearts. In the end, they fell into a state of mutual grieving that nothing could alleviate except for having each other to reminisce on the happy memories.

Of course, Gray knew why he was here now. He had something that he'd buried deep within the confines of his so-called "morals" and "social standards" to say, and this was his last chance. It wasn't even figurative. He had one chance left until the world, life, and everything permanently swept him away from the memory of living.

He just didn't know how to come out about it.

_He _was always too block-headed to understand underlying emotions. What if their memories of this life ended on an ugly note? What if…_would he judge me? _

As the scene around him abruptly changed, Gray was in _that_ place. The place he hated to see. He didn't even want to believe it existed, he never did. Above him, rain fell from the heavens, pelting his body and the cold, hard, pavement beneath his feet.

The ice mage watched his rippled reflection in the puddle in front of him and looked up. It was that feeling again, that feeling of emptiness and despair when _he _left. Gray hated the tombstone and the name etched onto it. He hated the cemetery. He hated himself for not being able to do anything, yet a small part of him argued, _let's be real: who could've? Lucy? Erza? Someone had to go. _He only wished that he himself had been the one instead of his friend.

Gray reached out and touched the dull, weatherworn marble, and suddenly he was on that cliff again, with the raging fire swimming down below, and an unforgiving mist clouding the surroundings.

He had broken his promise. He had let go, of the most important person in his life—he wasn't strong enough for both of them. _That smile…why was he smiling?_

The ice mage watched the scene replay in his head, over and over again like a broken tape, and wept angry tears.

_Selfless bastard. _

It was all so ironic. That person…he had always boasted that he was invincible against fire, yet fire had been the culprit of his demise. Gray could argue that he had voluntarily slipped out of Gray's grasp and fell into the scorching abyss; He could argue that it had to happen, either way. In the end, though, it was his fault. No matter how much blame everyone else tried to take for it, it was really his fault. He'd let him go.

He broke his promise.

Gray cried out, screamed in frustration for the first time in sixty-seven years.

"Why?!" he shrieked. "Why was it you and not me? Why…did you make me break my promise?"

He felt the ground come up to meet his knees, and he pounded his fist into the battle-charred earth as hot tears spilled off his cheeks.

"Bastard…" he sobbed. "Why did you leave us? Why did you leave _me?_"

"He did it for all of us," a voice replied.

Gray froze. _It can't be…?_

"L-Lucy?" he turned.

A young, blonde woman stood before him. Lucy smiled, her hands intertwined casually behind her back.

"But mostly for you. Hello, Gray."

"W-What are you doing here?" he sputtered, still shaking from his crying fit.

Lucy tilted her head to the side. "I came to tell you, Gray. He loved you. I would know." She looked at him sadly. "_I_ loved _him_. I would know who his feelings were really for."

Gray's eyes widened. "Lucy…"

"She's right," another voice said. "We wouldn't have gotten out of here in time if we waited for you to pull him up."

They both cocked their heads towards the direction of the sound, and soon enough, a scarlet-haired mage manifested from the mist. She came forward to stand in front of them, with a blue-haired mage following close behind, the right side of his face covered with a strange, maroon birthmark.

"Erza…Jellal?" Gray couldn't believe his eyes.

"It's not just us," Jellal said. He waved his hand, as if he were about to present a show, and the endless mountains, cliffs, and jagged edges melted away, replaced by the guild.

Fairy Tail.

Not the "now" Fairy Tail. The "seventy years ago" Fairy Tail. And every last one of those old idiots was there.

The ice mage blinked. Was it real? Everyone…Master, Mira, Lisanna, Elfman, Macao, Wakaba, Wendy, Gajeel, Levy…Max and his broom and even Laxus and the Thunder Tribe were on the second floor balcony, smirking down at him.

"It's been a while, Gray," Makarov said, breaking the silence.

"Only a true man could've lived as long as you did!" Elfman bellowed, causing a few chuckles and giggles to resonate.

Mira spoke before Gray had a chance to reply. "We all just wanted you to know, Gray, that we got your back. No matter what."

Gray wiped his eyes and choked, "no…you're all just gonna disappear…like Juvia..and—"

"Everyone will," Makarov interrupted. "At some point. There are several of us still waiting for their own reasons. As Master, I feel it is only right to help all my children attend to their needs."

The ice mage stared at his guild mates, wanting to remember each and every one of their faces, their personalities, their likes, dislikes, their memories together, but he knew that soon it would all be gone.

"Let him know how much he meant to you," Levy chimed.

"It's your last chance, ice-head," Gajeel grunted, crossing his arms.

Lucy placed her hand on Gray's shoulder. "Go on," she encouraged. "Tell him."

"Oi, Gray!" Laxus bellowed from above. "Don't screw it up this time!" He waved.

"Gray…" Erza said.

"Erza?"

She smiled. "We'll all meet again. Some day."

He nodded. "Some day." He pointed his finger up in the air, the symbol of the Fairy Tail guild members' fidelity, and it quickly spread to each member present at the guild.

"Thank you…thank you, everyone," he whispered, and he exited the guild doors for the last time. He knew exactly where he was going. Where _he _would be waiting.

Gray soon arrived at the riverbank that stretched just a quarter of a mile away from the guild. A cherry blossom tree stooped over a giant, flat, rock, which protruded slightly out over the water.

And, sitting atop the rock, leaning backwards with his legs sprawled out in front, was the person who had always encompassed Gray's heart.

The ice mage's eyes softened at the sight. He straightened his shoulders, and began walking towards the boy. When he reached him, Gray sat down next to him, surprising himself by how natural his movements seemed. It was as if no time had elapsed. It was as if the boundary of life never existed between them for the past six decades.

The boy wasn't even startled, and he made no attempt to even look at Gray or acknowledge his arrival and presence. He simply gazed out at the fiery sunset, which was dimly reflected in his deep, onyx irises.

Gray simply sat next to him. He wasn't in a hurry. The moment was too serene, too innocent to be disturbed. He hadn't truly felt at peace in so long. So, the ice mage lifted his eyes off the fire mage next to him and commenced his own staring contest with the sunset and the shimmering surface of the river.

After what seemed like a while, the fire mage broke the silence.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" he said, it being more a statement than a question.

Gray stared at him, blinking, as if the boy had spoken for the first time since he knew him. How he missed his voice.

He smirked, not being able to keep himself from taunting the other boy. "Since when did you enjoy 'pretty' things?"

He was staring into those eyes again, the glittering set of onyx stones embedded in a sea of past memories. It shocked him, and he found himself unable to look away.

"Hey, I have my moments, too," Natsu hissed playfully.

Gray relaxed; he was afraid that after so long, their reunion would start off on a bad foot. He smiled, and trained his eyes back on the sunset.

"Yeah, it sure is."

They sat in a comfortable silence for another stretch of time, and Gray finally remembered that it was an ephemeral moment, that he had a purpose for being here.

"Hey…Natsu?"

"Mm?"

"I came here, to, uh…tell you something."

Natsu looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. "I know."

Gray drew back a little. _Of course he knows…he's probably hating me for making him wait so long. _Then he remembered what Juvia had told him about how time passed here. _Maybe not...but still. _

However Natsu grinned, turning his body to face Gray and he crossed his legs. "Shoot," he said, punching Gray's shoulder. "Believe it or not, I miss talking to you." Then he chuckled. "Even though our talks always ended in fights."

Gray laughed along with his long lost friend, glad that it had taken next to no effort to mend things back. Or were they mended? Was anything broken in the first place?

After they'd sobered down, Gray began. "Well, damn. I don't know how to start," he said, scratching his head.

Natsu snorted. "You're too brainless to know that, ice head."

"Coming from you, flame brain?"

The flame brain waved his hand. "Alright, I'll stop interrupting. Continue."

"Okay. First off, you're an idiot, and I hate you because you left us, and Lucy, Erza, and I had to break up the team because things just weren't right without you. Then Happy was depressed for so long that he stopped wooing Charla."

Natsu listened silently, his eyes downcast.

"Second, you—_look at me!—_you're the biggest idiot for letting go of my hand. I don't give a damn if that cliff was about ready to crumble, if we all went down together, we probably could've done something. And what the hell? You're not supposed to get hurt by fire, let alone die by it!"

The fire mage continued staring at him blankly.

"Third, you're a selfless bastard and I…I…" Gray gulped, forcing his eyes to look into the other's.

"…I might've…just maybe…fallen in love with you, Natsu. A long time ago." _Oh dear lord. _"I still am…in love with you," he added, hesitantly, and then he mentally slapped himself in the face. _Did I really just tell him all that? _

For a while, they sat in an awkward silence, simply staring at each other, neither knowing what to say. Then, as always, Natsu was the one to break the ice. He grinned the biggest, happiest, toothiest 'Natsu' grin that anyone had ever seen.

"Thanks, Gray."

Gray blushed a deep shade of vermillion as Natsu pulled him into a tight hug. It wasn't a suffocating hug…it was comfortable, and Gray couldn't believe he was sharing it with Natsu, of all people. Heck, why _wouldn't _he share it with Natsu, of all people? He was the only one he'd ever _wanted _to share such intimacy with.

The ice mage wrapped his arms around the pink-haired boy, savoring the moment, savoring his warmth, and savoring his earthy scent. He wanted to stay like this forever, his nose buried in the other's hair, Natsu snuggling closely to his chest. He didn't need Natsu to say it to know that his feelings reciprocated. Natsu wasn't the type to talk about love, anyway. _ I won't let you go, not this time, _he thought to himself, half-wishing that Natsu heard him. _I won't let you go, never again._

They soon found themselves gazing at the last sliver of crimson sun still peeking above the horizon. Natsu sat between Gray's legs, leaning back into his chest, his hands folded over Gray's, which were still firmly wrapped around Natsu's bare stomach. His head was still tucked under Gray's chin, a light pink dusting his cheeks as he basked in the surprising warmth of the ice mage. Both mages knew that the end was coming close.

"Hey, flame brain?"

"Yeah?"

Gray tightened his grip on the slightly smaller boy, a little surprised that Natsu didn't throw a fit over his name-calling. He kissed the rosy hair.

"I missed you…a lot."

Natsu smiled, a trace of melancholy ghosting his face as they watched the last remnants of the glowing sun duck below the horizon.

"I missed you too, ice block."

* * *

A/N: It was sort of longer than I intended...but I hope it was worth the read? Sorry I didn't include much about Happy, but I dunno...do Exceeds live forever? o.O Thanks for following/reading! Was that fluffy enough?


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